Tomorrow, I'll be sober, and you'll be beautiful
by volcanoes
Summary: A very long time ago, Dave Karofsky had fallen in love, and now, Kurt Hummel smiled because he knew.


**Glee, these characters, and the quote on being sober and beauty do not belong to me. **

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><p>When Kurt first walked into Scandals for the second time in his senior year, he hadn't expected to see Dave Karofsky. He had expected to get drunk, and to cry about his 'mutual' breakup with Blaine, in the privacy of his car until he was sober enough to drive home.<p>

That night, Kurt hadn't made it past his first sip of beer before Dave Karofsky took a seat next to him, his large hands wrapped around a bottle of beer, eyeing Kurt from underneath his hat.

"Are you okay?"

Kurt had looked over at Dave that day, and had seen the compassion in his eyes when he saw that Kurt's eyes were red rimmed and wet. That day, it had taken all of three seconds for Kurt to burst into tears. Kurt had always been told that he was a pretty crier- but that day, it had been sobs. It had been beating his hands against Dave's chest as he held onto Kurt in his truck; it had been sniffling, weeping, and yelling, for hours, until Kurt ran out of tears. Dave drove him home that day, and had sat with him in the car until Kurt's eyes had gone back to their normal color, bloodshot free and completely dry.

Kurt was not okay that day, that night, or when he woke up the next morning. But the tears that had made their way down Kurt's cheeks that night, and the note in the back pocket of his jeans containing Karofsky's number had been the pathway to what Kurt considered would one day be a normal life.

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><p>The third time Kurt walked into Scandals that senior year, he had expected Dave to be there, in the stool that he'd occupied both times Kurt had seen him there.<p>

Kurt had sit down on the stool next to Dave and given him a shaky smile. Dave had returned it, and ordered him a beer. Three beers later, they began to talk. Mostly, it was Kurt talking about the breakup. Kurt had run out of tears, but he hadn't run out of the feelings he'd felt.

Dave and Kurt talked well into midnight that visit. Kurt had talked about how he felt unworthy, how he never felt the connection he should've with Blaine, but how it hurt all the same. That night, Kurt had said something to David that stuck with him far into his relationship with Kurt.

"There are two kinds of feelings you can feel when you look at someone you may love," Kurt had said, a whisper that only Dave, after over two years of longing and gazing at Kurt from afar could understand. "There is the kind of love, that is comfortable. It is the kind of love, that work is not put into, because you know how the other person feels. When you look at this person, you don't feel strong emotions- you feel safety, security." A pause took place, in which Kurt had carefully chosen his next few words. "Then, there is the kind of love, that is built up from thousands of emotions; good ones, bad ones, it doesn't matter. And there is only one thing you see when you look at this person," Kurt said. "Beauty. You see beauty."

That night, Kurt had driven home hours after sitting in his car, sobering himself up, simultaneously tiring himself out. He had slept the second his head had hit his pillow.

That night, Dave sat on his bed and thought about what Kurt had said. His thoughts had swirled, changing and moving, creating patterns, connections, stories. It had been a jumbled mess, but what Dave came back to most what the only thing he was sure about when he looked at Kurt Hummel- beauty.

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><p>The fourth time Kurt and Dave met up at Scandals, it was a combination of every time Kurt had been there. The night had consisted of drinking, of talking, and of dancing. It was a swirl of emotions, of Kurt's movements, of Dave's eyes watching Kurt as he talked, as he danced, as he cried later in the night, the high he had gotten from his drinks turning him into a crying mess. Dave had talked to him, he'd watched him dance, and he'd held him as Kurt cried again, for someone that was not Dave. And yet, the only thing Dave saw the entire time, was how absolutely beautiful Kurt Hummel was to him, and it scared him.<p>

Dave had driven Kurt home that day too. As they sat in the car, waiting for Kurt to bring himself to walk into the house, Kurt looked up at Dave and told him that he really was starting to get over Blaine Anderson. "I think I've come to the realization why I felt the way I did after the breakup," Kurt had said, his fingers continuously running up and down the seats material until Dave's larger fingers placed themselves on top of Kurt's, ceasing the movement. Kurt sighed before continuing. "I realized a few nights ago, that it wasn't the breakup that I was crying about; it was the fact that, I finally came to the realization that I could never feel the way I feel about Blaine, with someone else." Kurt's voice cracked at the last word, and he looked over at Dave quickly before continuing. "With Blaine, there had never been beauty. And the breakup had been painful, because it meant that I was done trying to make it that way."

Dave hadn't known what to say that day, so he had nodded, moving his fingers away from Kurt's and gripping the steering wheel. Kurt had glanced at him again, and given him a brave sort of smile.

"I'll be fine, soon enough. Today's cry was more of a goodbye than anything else. I know what I want out of life- beauty. And I'm so close to finding it."

Dave had nodded again dumbly, and had frozen as Kurt had opened the car door, given him last look behind his shoulder, and walked out, into the freezing cold, and into his house.

Dave had driven home that day, unsure of his feeling. He felt happy, knowing that Kurt was on his way to happiness. But the insecurity of living in constant craving for so long left him wondering how much he had to do with Kurt's soon to be found happiness.

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><p>The fifth time Kurt and Dave met up at Scandals was also the last time they had come to the bar as seniors. It was a month after the conversation they'd had on that February night, and although it wasn't close to the school year's end, they knew they wouldn't find time to come there again.<p>

The time had started out happier than others, with smiles exchanged, bottles clinked. Kurt, when he wasn't heartbroken, was a goofy drunk, either exclaiming wildly, or perfectly content to sit back with a happy smile on his face and watch other people make fools of them on the dance floor.

That day, Dave Karofsky had yet again driven Kurt home, but it was because he believed that Kurt's happiness would keep him from driving well, not the constant flow of tears running down his face.

Dave had parked in front of Kurt's house, and led him to the door, putting his arm around Kurt to keep him from falling. Kurt had looked up at Dave and smiled, and told him his dad and Carole had taken Finn camping that weekend, and that Dave should come in. Dave did but it was to make sure Kurt got into bed before he would quietly slip out, and make his way home.

Dave had gotten Kurt into bed and was about to leave, when he felt a hand grab his lightly, tugging him around. Kurt had looked at Dave with wide eyes, and had asked him to lay with him, just for a little while. Dave stood there for a moment, and then moved across the room to get onto the other side of the bed. A few seconds, he and Kurt turned to each other, their legs close enough to touch. Kurt stared at Dave, and slowly brought his hand up to Dave's face. His fingers were feather light, soft, as they trailed down Dave's face, moving over his nose, brushing across his cheekbone. Dave held his breath and closed his eyes as Kurt's fingers ghosted over his face.

"You're beautiful," Kurt whispered.

Dave opened his eyes, looking at Kurt. He swallowed, staring into the others eyes as he moved his hand up to his face and placed it over Kurt's stopping it from moving.

"You're drunk," he whispered.

Kurt chuckled slowly, intertwining his and Dave's fingers and moving them away from Dave's face, bringing them down between them.

"I may be drunk," he began. "And you are definitely beautiful. And tomorrow morning, I will be sober," Kurt's eyes raked Dave's face, a small smile spreading across his face. "But you'll still be beautiful."

Dave let out a slow breath, and let a smile spread across his face as he realized what Kurt had meant, and the sincerity behind his words. Kurt smiled back, looking more and more sober, as well as sure of himself as time passed. At that moment, Dave realized something.

When he had first truly seen Kurt, that day after the kiss, he had felt love. And that day when he saw Kurt at the bar, he had fallen in love.

And now, Kurt smiled, because he knew.

As Kurt closed his eyes and fell into a deep sleep, Dave squeezed Kurt's hand harder, and stayed awake, dreaming at the possibilities of what could come.

More bars, more sleep, more whispered conversations.

More beauty.


End file.
